Highway landslide kills 45

At least 45 people were killed and several others injured in a massive landslide that swept away vehicles on a busy highway in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district on Sunday morning, according to media reports.

The landslide swept away two Himachal Roadways Transport Corporation buses carrying nearly 55 passengers and several homes. As many as 46 bodies were recovered and five injured people were rushed to a hospital in Mandi town, IANS reported.

Forty-two bodies were pulled out of a Manali-bound bus that was coming from Chamba with 47 passengers on board, while three bodies were recovered from the other bus, which was traveling from Manali with eight passengers on board.

Manmohan Singh, a weather official, told IANS that the state was likely to be hit by heavy rain on Monday as well, which may hamper rescue operations. He said: “There are chances of heavy rainfall in Mandi and Kangra districts.”

The state government announced a compensation payment of Rs5 lakh (US$7,800) to the next of kin of the deceased.